by Shukuru Amos
The job of marketers is to keep up with evolving marketing trends. We need to ensure that we remain updated about algorithmic changes, revise our advertising to adhere to new policies, and many more changes. We do all this over and over again so we can adjust our strategies to improve the outcomes for our clients and our own companies.
Unfortunately, not all trends work. Here are some of the marketing trends to watch in 2022, that we believe will actually
Focus on Mobile-first marketing
By 2025, an estimated 73% of people will access the internet on mobile-only. Always consider how something will appear on mobile devices. Try to use long, horizontal videos and images because they look best on mobile screens. Take advantage of app-exclusive features, such as audio posts and Fleets on Twitter; live video and Reels on Instagram, and Stories on YouTube and Instagram. Always focus on mobile-only features to create a more seamless experience for mobile users
Focus on Social Commerce
Social media has become the heart of the post-pandemic shopping experience. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest have given brands the opportunity to create a seamless experience for users to buy products directly within a social channel without being taken outside. Brands need to capitalize on the growing social commerce trend.
Brand and Creators collaboration
Brands and creators’ collaboration is an important marketing strategy marketers are expecting to use in 2022. Brands need faces and voices that can tell their message, values, and mission. Online content creators are best positioned to drive ROI for B2C brands. Creators have existing loyal communities that brands should creatively tap into instead of building a community from scratch.
Making Social Ads that blend in
Marketers need to intuitively understand a particular platform as a user, not just as a marketer. This will help in creating ads that do not interrupt people’s experience but seamlessly fit in. Today’s consumers are smarter and more empowered. Brands will have to think hard about whether they want to be embraced or tolerated on a particular platform.
Social media means business
Social media has finally matured to find its place in business. Marketers are not just raising awareness on social media but expect to derive tangible ROI from it. According to Hootsuite Social Trends 2022, 83% of marketers are confident about quantifying the ROI of social media. This was not the case over a decade ago when marketers struggled to measure ROI from social. But both the pandemic and social platforms’ advanced features have forced marketers to rely on social as it became a primary source to keep up with customers.
Building trust with first-party data
With the elimination of third-party cookies in 2021, marketers are turning to first-party data in 2022. Companies will focus on collecting data directly from their users for retargeting purposes. Online data about customer interaction on a website or an app will be collected through subscriptions, product views, and inside queries. In a world of growing privacy concerns, first-party data will enable businesses to operate in a privacy-compliance and cost-effective way.
The metaverse to enhance customer experience
Many businesses are expected to enter the metaverse in 2022 and years to follow. That is because the metaverse has mouthwatering promises to businesses, it is expected to bridge the gap between traditional and digital marketing. From improved customer experience to selling virtual products, and from virtual concerts and branded shops within games, the metaverse is everything marketers have ever dreamed of. Brands will be able to create virtual stores or exhibitions and people, through their virtual presence (avatars), will visit the stores and have an experience of the product just like they would physically.
It is important for marketers to understand the fluidity of marketing. New best practices and policies come and go, algorithms are getting smarter and harder to predict. Marketers must always be ready to discard their once working strategies in the face of new changes.
by Shukuru Amos
Have you ever found yourself stuck on what to post on social media? It happens all the time. Finding good ideas to post can be tricky sometimes.
At first, Launching your company’s social media profiles seems like an easy task. Then comes the hard part when you are supposed to be consistently posting engaging content. That is when you realize social media marketing is not easy work at all.
I have worked (and still working) in social media marketing for a couple of small-to-medium companies and organizations in Tanzania for over three years now. I have experienced these challenges myself.
Some days your creative mind will be on vacation. You will procrastinate or will not post at all. And your boss will fire you (let that not happen).
So without wasting your time, let’s dive in.
Give your followers a break from being sold to!
So what are great ideas to post on social media? Apart from the usual buy this, get this?
If you want to go beyond the self promotional approach, these post ideas will boost engagement on your social platforms and give value to your followers.
1. Question-based Post: This is a powerful way to start a conversation with your followers. Ask an engaging question that relates to what your business does. You can also conduct market research from this type of posts.
2. Post statistics or industry news: What are the current findings or news in your industry? Be sure to share them with your audience. It will make you part of the industry and not someone who is just there to sell. Statistics are also the best way to support your claim or message.
3. Share your opinion about a trending topic: There’s always something in your industry trending online. You find what it is, share it, and give your two cents on the topic. Again, it is about being part of the online conversations that your audience cares about.
4. Share Tips and How-To post: Educational posts are effective to introduce you as a thought leader in your niche. People always want to know how things are done. Tell them and build trust in return.
5. Thank you Post; Every time you hit a certain number of followers, be sure to thank your followers for helping you grow.
6. Behind the scenes posts: If you were (or still) a Game of Thrones fan, I am sure you have watched a couple of behind the scene videos of the show. And they probably helped you build a human connection with the actors. Sometimes you can post a photo or go live and showcase your office, or store. It helps to show your audience a human side of you and fosters a deeper trust than that of a traditional post.
7. Run Contests and Giveaways: Contests and giveaways can be an instant way to grow your engagement on social media. They can give you new followers and result in increased sales.
8. Post a Meme: Well, sometimes it is not a bad idea to light up things a little. Just because you are a bank, or a pharmacy doesn’t mean you have to be serious and full of jargon every day. But be careful with memes!
9. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC): Chances are people are already talking about whatever your business is in to. The best way to join these conversations is to share/repost/retweet someone’s post about the topic. It will affirm you and make you part of the conversation.
10. Post Infographics: Don’t let your blog articles rot in your website, try to repurpose them in a visually appealing way. Infographics are ideal ways to summarize a lengthy amount of information in short form.
11. Re-introduce yourself: Once in a while, reminding your followers of who you are and what you do is not a bad idea. Warning: don’t use this repeatedly, you will become a boring brand.
12. Share PDF and White Papers: sometimes a social media post can not say it all. If you have got a lot to say such as case studies, give it to your followers in the form of downloadable formats. Besides, everyone loves takeaways.
Conclusion
Social media can be a waste of time if done without a plan. As a serious business, you don’t want to add up to the social media noise and become a bore to your loyal fans. You need a strategy.
If you need a digital strategy that can bring results to your business, contact us HERE.
by Guest Post
Article written by Eunice Tossy
Social media has become an important part of our everyday life. Worldwide, there are 3.80 billion social media users.
In Tanzanian, a large number of youths are avid users of these social platforms such Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. We use these tools to stay connected and informed. But most of us tend to be so well informed about issues surrounding our celebrities.
We are active on social media, and that’s not always a bad thing. But are we making the most of it?
You have probably heard about people who have won scholarships, competitions, deals, got job and all these exciting opportunities after seeing them from social media, and you were left asking, ‘which Instagram are these winners using?’ Well, they get information about opportunities the same way you get information about Diamond Platnumz divorcing Tanasha.
If you don’t want to miss out on important opportunities, or want to do more with social media, here is how you can benefit from these platforms, the same ones that winners are using:
Join groups or conversations that resonate with you
Don’t be up to date with everything. That’s draining. Be well informed about issues that really matter to you. Be it social change, world issues, sports or anything else. You need to have an information diet, you can’t take anything in. Focus and engage on content that resonate with you only. Celebrity dramas is entertaining but time wasting.
Find your tribe and connect with them
Follow people who do things you love doing. If you’re a digital marketer, find and connect with people in the digital marketing industry. You can also have virtual mentors on social media who inspire you and give you lessons through their posts. because all these people who live our dream lives, post about it. Why not learn and be mentored?
Brand yourself well
I used to hate this word, because I believe people are not brands. But again, your social media persona should just be you. Don’t fake things because people will notice. Understand who you aspire to become and try your level best to stay out of trouble on social media.
Follow accounts that post opportunities
There are a lot of accounts and blogs that share opportunities and organizations that do things that you like. In 2018, I went to Malawi to work with When the Saints, an organization that works with girls who have been sexually abused. I got into contact with them after just I read about them from my favourite blog. I reached out to the founder and I got the opportunity to work with the organization for for three months.
Use your account to share your passion
I love blogging, and my Instagram is full of pictures and long captions (inspiring people and sharing tips), my Twitter is full of me connecting with other bloggers in the word. You love photography, share what you capture on your account, sell what you make, share your love for things etc. You might gain a following and might as well become an influencer. People pay bills using their social media accounts these days, why not you?
And those are the ways I think we can benefit from these digital platforms.
-Eunice💜
Eunice is a writer at abiblegirl.com, where she shares life tips for millennials. Connect with her on Instagram.
by Shukuru Amos
Every business wants more traffic, more leads and more sales. The whole point of launching our businesses online is to be visible to the bigger audience. We all want to reach those people who might otherwise not know we exist. Thanks to technology.
When it comes to launching a business online, however, it takes more than just being there. If the only way people can find you online is by you sharing a link directly to them, then you’re not really online. You need to be found organically.
Here are reasons why your online business might not online;
You’re not recognized by search engines
If your website is not indexed by search engines like Google and Bing, then you’re on the wrong side of the web. People are always searching for a service related to yours but they can’t find you on search results. While it takes time to gain visibility and ranking on search engines you can improve it by having a dedicated ongoing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy.
Other media don’t know you exist
Have you ever been featured by media like top bloggers and influencers? If no, then you have a long way to go. Your credibility online depends on how many other websites are linking to you (backlinks). You can use paid media to have a sponsored article about you written by mainstream media.
You don’t know your audience
If your business is for everyone, then it is for nobody. Without knowing your customers, you will be shooting in the dark. You’ll not know how to optimize your content for a targeted audience and you’ll end up getting followers who will not convert into buying customers.
Images downloaded somewhere else
Are you using original images or downloaded from another website? If you are using images downloaded from free image stocks, chances are many people are using them. Your business will gain more credibility if you use your own images.
Also, remember to give your images names that relate to your service. This is because search engines don’t see images the way we see them. They see the code behind them. By giving your images a descriptive name, you help search engines determine what your website is all about.
Website content is poor
Without content, you are lost online. Focus on good quality content and you will be rewarded. Create content that is not only about your services and products but content that build trust and establish you as an authority in that industry. If you copied content from somewhere else and paste it on your website, then you’re only putting yourself behind.
No conversion goals
Today’s websites are not like static brochures stuffed with About, Mission and Vision statements. Today’s websites are meant to convert people with clear calls to action. You can achieve conversion goals such as getting new subscribers to your newsletter, have people perform actions like filling a form or buying directly from your website. Without these efforts, you are just as good as being offline.
No one is talking about you online
Being online means joining conversations about your industry and empower your audience to do the marketing for you. This is called earned media and it comprises things like comments, share and blog articles from other people talking about your services. It is important because it builds trust and credibility. It can’t be only you talking about you. Encourage your customers to leave online reviews and comments about your service
Abandoned social media accounts
This is a bad idea. An abandoned social media channel sends two messages to your followers; that something is stirring up at your company or they wonder if you are still in business anymore. Instead of opening many accounts, you can stick to a few that you’ll be active. Or you can save yourself the embarrassment of abandoning social media channels by hiring a freelancer to take care of your online presence while you handle other things of your business.
Your website or app takes an eternity to load
How long did it take for you to open this article? Hope it didn’t take too long, otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading it right now. People’s attention is short. They have so many interesting things on their gadgets. They are impatient to wait for another second for your site to load unless it’s a job application. Make sure your website doesn’t contain unnecessary things that make it heavy.
You’re not leveraging local SEO
If your business is getting more local customers who speak Swahili and you are using only English, then you’re missing out on potential customers. Those people are searching for a service like yours but they cannot find you because their search terms are in Swahili. You can attract local customers by creating a separate page on your website written in Kiswahili. Or you can add your business on local listing directories like Google My Business.
Not mobile-friendly
If your website looks another way on desktop and completely another thing on mobile, then you are not really controlling the online experience. Your mobile app or a website needs to be designed with its users in mind. Your target audience uses different devices with different browsers. Make sure the experience is the same and perfect on everyone’s favorite screen.
You’re not using Facebook Ads
Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t like organic results. If you didn’t know, now you know. As people’s feed got crowded, facebook reduced to show company updates. In fact, it rarely exists these days. The only way left for company pages to survive on facebook is to use paid ads. But the good thing is, Facebook ads work perfectly well.
Auto translating tools
In the ages of bots and automation, it is easy to be tempted to use them. But there are limitations. Search engines do not like content generated by the automation tool. They even consider it spam. Make sure your web copy is written by a human because you’re writing for humans.
Your business might have sold in the past years using traditional marketing strategies, but one thing is for sure, change is inevitable. The internet has changed the game. You can’t do business depending on word of mouth referrals in the world where people barely listen to each other but pay attention to their gadgets.
I wish you success in your business. Spread the information to all entrepreneurs out there.
